Clothes compressor for wardrobe



N V- 1, 1 H. A. SIMPSON, JR 3,009,756

CLOTHES COMPRESSOR FOR WARDROBE Original Filed Jan. 24, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 O N O O 8 3 s '2 3 IEIH N I; I

Q) LL 0 IO N INVENTOR HARRY A. SIMPSON, JR.

BY ,8. 4. 2& m4

ATTORNEY Nov. 21, 1961 H. A. SIMPSON, JR

CLOTHES COMPRESSOR FOR WARDROBE Original Filed Jan. 24, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.3

FIG, 2.

HARRY A. SIMPSON, JR.

X3. Z QW ATTORNEY" Nov. 21, 1961 H. A. SIMPSON, JR

CLOTHES COMPRESSOR FOR WARDROBE Original Filed Jan. 24, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.8.

FIG] INVENTOR R J N O s P m s A Y R R A H z- Za uf ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,009,756 CLOTHES COMPRESSOR FOR WROIBE Harry A. Simpson, .lr., Portsmouth, Va., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Original application Jan. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 711,109, new Patent No. 2,987,356, dated June 6, 1961. Divided and this application Nov. 13, 1958, Ser. No. 777,806

1 Claim. (Cl. 312-342) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to furniture and particularly to furniture for use aboard naval ships and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to ready-made modular, as contrasted with custom built, furniture for use aboard naval ships.

The instant application is a divisional application of applicants co-pending application Serial No. 711,109, filed January 24, 1958, now Patent No. 2,987,356.

As is well known, furniture space aboard a naval vessel is generally at a premium, particularly on a ship conversion job, with a result that heretofore there has had to be a compromise between available space, utility and comfort. This in turn has resulted in custom-built furniture, or where ready-made furniture has been used, a large inventory of various shapes and sizes has had to be stocked.

An object of this invention is to provide ships furniture incorporating novel features that overcome inherent disadvantages in existing ships furniture.

A further object of this invention is to provide readymade sectional furniture for use aboard naval ships.

A further object of the invention is to provide sectional furniture wherein the various sections are so constructed as to be readily assembled into a unitary structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide modular furniture wherein the various sections are so dimensioned as to fall Within a common denominator.

A further object of the invention is to provide sectional furniture wherein various different sections are readily interchangeable to fit existing conditions.

A further object of this invention is to provide sectional furniture wherein each of the various sections incorporates common fastening mechanism for interchangeability of the various sections.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wardrobe incorporating a novel clothes compressor.

Briefly, in accordance with this invention there are provided various sections of furniture including a full length wardrobe, a half length wardrobe, a file section, a utility locker, a secretary bureau, a chest of drawers, a common top and a common base or foundation; each so dimensioned as to fit within a connnon denominator or multiple thereof, and each provided with common interlocking means for interchangeably assembling the various sections into a unitary structure.

Advantages of the sectionalized construction is the fact that various combinations can be efiected with a minimum of parts and a minimum of effort. For instance, a file section may be very desirable for an engineering or an administrative oflicer, while an ofiicer in another capacity might prefer a drawer section. A substitution can easily be made since each section is a separate and interchangeable unit. Besides making various combinations to suit oificers in a particular category, the unit can easily be made to either hand simply by stacking to suit.

If a ships appurtenance, such as a fire control valve, were located on the bulkhead against which the furniture assembly was to be installed, one of the utility lockers for example, could be omitted and the assembly arranged in a manner that would afford access to the valve.

On a ship conversion job light bulkheads between staterooms could be eliminated and units set 'back-tmback, thereby forming a division of staterooms, as well as providing stowage space.

In an existing stateroom where there is less than the required lineal footage of bulkhead, the assembly can be divided into two or more subassem blies to fit available space.

The full length wardrobe is intended for stowage of long coats and is provided with a shelf for cap stowage in the top section. it is quite obvious that oflicers uniforms stowed in a full length wardrobe creates a loss of valuable space at the bottom of such wardrobe. From this observation came the idea of a shorter or half wardrobe which afford a more compact stowage space for uniforms. Each of the wardrobe sections is provided with a unique clothes compressor for securing the clothing in rough seas.

For a two-ofiicer stateroom, the secretary bureau section is equipped with two safes for confidential papers, wallets, and personal effects. They are provided with a shelf for better arrangement. A drop leaf, which in open position serves as a writing surface, is located at desk height above the deck.

The utility locker incorporated unique features. In addition to drawer stowage for small items such as underware, handkerchiefs, socks, etc., it is provided with an adjustable shelf for stowage of books. This shelf has a hinged ledge that can be dropped down for easy removal of books, magazines, etc., or it can be locked in place by means of a spring latch to prevent books or the like from being tossed around in rough seas.

Completed units have been installed on naval ships and seemed to meet full requirements of personnel using the same. The unitary assembly has a neat compact appearance since all hardware is flush and all hinges concealed, alfording unbroken surfaces. The entire assembly is mounted on a stainless steel sub-base with an ample toe space at the front. The parts used for a single officer stateroom are identically constructed but differently arranged from the illustrated two-officer stateroom.

The invention, together with the above and other objects and advantages thereof, is set forth in more technical detail in the following description and accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a unitary furniture assembly for a two-officer stateroom in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section and side elevational View of a full length wardrobe, taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section and front elevational view of the wardrobe, taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the upper left hand corner of the wardrobe shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in vertical section, of a clothes hanger and compressor shown in front elevation in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the structure shown in FIG. 7, and taken on line 88 thereof;

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the clothes hanger bar shown in FIG. 7, and taken on line 99 thereof; and

FIG. 10, is a perspective view of a clothes hanger bracket.

Referring now to the drawings, first to FIG. 1, wherein,

for purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown an assembly of furniture for a two-oflicer stateroom, and which furniture comprises a full length wardrobe 30, a half length wardrobe 70, a file section 80, a pair of utility lockers 90, a two-officer secretary bureau 130, a pair of chests of drawers 170, a unitary top 190 and a unitary base or foundation 2%. The various sections are interlocked, as described hereinafter, to comprise a unitary assembly, supported on the deck 210 of the stateroom.

As disclosed hereinbefore, an advantage of the sectionalized construction of this invention is the fact that various combinations of furniture can be effected. For example, a file section 80 may be very desirable for an engineering or an administrative officer, while an officer in another capacity might prefer an additional drawer section 17! or an additional utility locker 9G, or vice versa. Substitutions can easily be made since each section is a separate and interchangeable unit. A one-oflicer, usually a senior officer, stateroom may be fashioned by omitting, for example, the half length wardrobe 7!) and the file section 80, or by interchanging these sections with other sections, or by any suitable rearrangement to meet the needs and desires of such ofiicer. Besides making various combinations to suit oflicers in a particular category, the unit assembly can easily be made to either hand simply by stacking to suit. For interchangeability, the various sections are so dimensioned, as to height, width and depth, as to fall within a common denominator, or multiples thereof. The various sections are fabricated from sheet metal of suitable thickness, flanged and reinforced as necessary, as described in detail hereinafter for the individual sections, subassemblies and accessories.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-6, the full length wardrobe 30 comprises a pair of side walls 31, a rear wall 32, a pair of doors 33, a top 34 and a bottom 35. The front portion of each of the side walls 31 is flanged inwardly, as at 31a (FIG. 4) to provide a door jamb. An angle member 36, bent in the manner shown in FIG. 4, fits into the flange 31a and is spot or seam welded thereto and to the side walls. The angle member 36 forms a rectangular frame that reinforces the front of the wardrobe and forms a jamb for the doors. The rear wall 32 'has a flange portion 32a that fits into the rear of the side walls and is spot or seam welded thereto. The doors 33, which are hinged to the door jamb by suitable, invisible hinges, not shown, are flanged inwardly, as at 33a, FIG. 2, on the four edges thereof for reinforcement and for snug fit within the door jamb. The right hand door, as viewed in FIG. 1, overlaps the left door and is provided with a handle 33b that operates a pair of rods 330 for securing the doors in closed position. The side and rear walls of the wardrobe are flanged inwardly at the top and bottom thereof (FIG. 3), as at 31b and 32b, respectively, to receive the top and bottom members 34 and 35.

The top 34 of the wardrobe is flanged downwardly and outwardly at the four sides thereof, as at 34a, FIG. 6, and the outward flange of the top is fitted beneath the inward flange of side, front and rear walls and is spot or seamwelded thereto. At the back near each side thereof, the top 34 is provided with a pair of fixed detents 40, FIG. 3, which detents are for securing the outer top 190 to the assembly. At the front near each side thereof, the top 34 is provided with a pair of movable detents 42. As shown in FIGS. and 6, each of the detents 42 comprises a stirrup or U-shaped guide 43 having horizontal flanges 43a thereof welded to the under surface of the top or closure member 34. A slidable detent 44, having a front return bend portion 44a and right angle or drive portion 44b is guided and supported by the stirrup. The arrangement, as described in more detail hereinafter, is such that with the outer top member 190 positioned on top of the assembly (FIG. 1) the movable detents 42 are driven home, each to a position similar to that of FIG. 5, whereupon the return bend portion 44a of the detents secures or clamps the outer top member of the assembly to the top of the wardrobe. Each of the various sections that make up the assembly of FIG. 1 is provided with similar fixed and movable detents for securing the outer top member 190 to the various upper sections of the assembly and thereby secure the assembly into a unitary structure.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bottom securing means of the full length wardrobe 30 is generally similar to the top securing means. Here, the inside bottom 35 comprises a rectangular sheet, flanged downward and inward with the downward flange snugly fitted into the bottom of the vertical walls of the wardrobe and welded thereto. Beneath the inner bottom 35 is an outer bottom or base member '46. Base member 46, as shown in FIG. 5, comprises a flat top 46a, a first downward flange 46!), an outward flange 46c, a second downward flange 46d, flush with the outer walls of the wardrobe, and an inner flange 46e, which inner flange rests upon a similar inner flange 200s of the foundation of sub-base member 200 of the unitary assembly. The foundation member is secured to the deck 210 of the ship in suitable manner, not shown, and is set back at the front of the assembly to provide a toe space and access openings 210a, as shown at the lower left hand corner of FIG. 2. A pair of fixed detents '47 is attached to the under surface of bottom member 46 at the rear corners thereof (FIGS. 2 and 3). A pair of movable detents 48, only one of which is shown in FIG. 2, is attached to the front, under surface of member 46. The bottom detents 47 and 48 are generally similar to and perform similar functions as the top detents 40 and '42, respectfully, and need not be described in further detail. It should be noted, however, in accordance with this invention, each of the several sections of the assembly (FIG. 1) is provided with similar detents so that the sections are interchangeable, as described hereinbefore.

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, the full length wardrobe is fitted with a shelf 50 in the upper portion thereof for stowage of officers caps or the like. Shelf 50 is formed of a flat sheet 50a having downward flanges 50b at the four sides thereof and a front ledge 50c. Flanged members 52 are welded to the side and rear walls of the wardrobe, with the upper portions of such members spaced from such walls for snugly receiving the side and rear flanges 50b of the shelf.

A clothes hanger bar 54 is mounted beneath the shelf by a pair of brackets 55, which brackets are mounted on opposite side walls of the wardrobe, and movably mounted on the hanger bar is a clothes compressor assembly 56. The hanger bar is rectangular in transverse section with the ends thereof snugly fitted within the rectangular brackets (FIG. 10) and secured thereto by a pair of screws 57 (FIG. 9). The hanger 'bar 54 is provided with a plurality of spaced slots 58, to be referred to hereinafter, and a clothes compressor 60 is slidably mounted on the hanger bar. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the clothes compressor comprises a carriage 62 that surrounds the hanger bar and has a pair of rollers 64 attached thereto, which rollers travel within the hanger bar. The carriage 62 is formed as an inverted U-shaped member and has an inverted T-bar 66 attached thereto. Fitted between the legs of the U-shaped carriage is a latch 68 having a detent 68a on the upper portion thereof and a handle or trigger 68b on the lower portion. The latch is pivotally mounted on the carriage by a rivet 680, which rivet, also mounts a hair-pin spring 69.

In operation, with clothing, such as overcoats, top coats or the like, hanging on conventional hangers, not shown, on the hanger bar, the trigger portion 68b of the latch is moved to the broken line position (FIG. 7) against the spring 69 until the detent 63a is removed from its particular slot 58 in the hanger bar, whereupon the carriage may be removed crosswise of the wardrobe (FIG. 3). To,

for instance, remove a garment, the carriage is moved to the right (FIG. 3), whereupon the T-bar 66 is moved from contact with the end garment. After the desired garment has been removed from the hanger, the carriage is moved to the left until the inverted T-bar 66 contacts and compresses the remaining garments against the side of the wardrobe and until the detent 68a engages an appropriate slot 58 in the under surface of the hanger bar 54. Thus, all garments hanging on the hanger bar are compressed and held snugly in place despite large movements of the ship as by heavy seas.

The half length wardrobe 70 (FIG. 1) is substantially identical, except for height and omission of the cap shelf, with the full length wardrobe 38, and need not be described in detail. It is suificient to state that the detents at the top and bottom for connection to other sections of the assembly and the clothes compressor of the half length wardrobe are the same as like members described in detail hereinbefore for the full length wardrobe.

Thus is it seen, in accordance with this invention, there is provided a furniture assembly particularly adapted for use aboard naval ships, wherein individual sections, such as, full length wardrobes, half length wardrobes, file sections, utility lockers, secretary bureaus, chests of drawers and the like are readymade substantially in accordance with assembly line methods. The dimensions of the individual sections are so related that any one section may be replaced by another section or sections within an assembly to fit various requirements. Each of the individual sections, as well as common top and base members, is provided with identical securing or fastening means whereby various individual sections may be readily and interchangeably assembled into a unitary structure. In addition to the interchangeable features of the several sections, the individual sections incorporate various novel features such as the clothes compressor.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that numerous modifications or alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A clothes compressor for use with a wardrobe or the like having opposite sidewalls, comprising a horizontal bar of tubular rectangular cross section with a longitudinal slot extending the length thereof, means for mounting said bar on opposite side walls of said wardrobe, said bar having a plurality of slots in the lower surface thereof, a carriage mounted on the horizontal bar for movement longitudinally thereof, said carriage including roller mounting means extending through said longitudinal slot, a pair of rollers carried by said mounting means longitudinally within the tubular member for longitudinal movement relative to such tubular member, and a saddlelike portion mounted on the rollers and having at least two sides thereof substantially parallel with at least two adjacent sides of the horizontal bar; an inverted T-bar mounted on the carriage for movement therewith and having a horizontal portion thereof vertically spaced from the horizontal bar and perpendicular thereto, said carriage and inverted T-bar being held against side sway by said saddle; and spring biased fastening means mounted on the carriage for movement therewith and having a portion thereof adapted to engage within a selected one of the slots in the horizontal bar for releasably securing the carriage and inverted T-bar in a predetermined position on the horizontal bar whereby said clothes may be held against one of said sidewalls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 598,365 Derby Feb. 1, 1898 943,841 Ohnstrand Dec. 21, 1909 1,578,959 Davidson Mar. 30, 1926 1,820,888 Rand Aug. 25, 1931 2,121,492 St. John June 21, 1938 2,489,164 Shwayder Nov. 22, 1949 2,733,719 Lear Feb. 7, 1956 

